political prisoners | THE BLACK LADDER

The Irony behind Nelson Mandela’s hospitalization

by: Dr. Samori Swygert

Nelson Mandela earned his international notoriety by boldly confronting and condemning the racist system of apartheid in South Africa. He is revered by many as a beacon of courage, fortitude, and resilience. During the mid 1940’s to the early 1990’s, the National Party, a political party comprised of Afrikaners that maintained a racist and segregationist socio-political philosophy commanded the South African government. The ideologies and philosophies were endowed to white supremacy that extended from prior Dutch colonial rule of the South African region.

Nelson Mandela was a persistent agitator that sought to dismantle this oppressive regime. He was eventually jailed as a political prisoner for his activities. Nelson Mandela earned a two-year diploma in law which enabled him to utilize his training in his pursuit to disrupt the oppressive system of apartheid. He also established the first black law firm in South Africa with an associate called Mandela and Tamblo. He was arrested several times for conducting, and participating in what would be termed “sedition”. In the system of apartheid, resources were reallocated and redistributed to enrich the privileged, and deprive the underprivileged. The racism permeated all institutions (financial, educational, political, labor, law and etc). The heads of South African apartheid regimes conducted acts of removal, where approximately 60,000 black people were forcibly moved from Johannesburg to Soweto. Black African communities were bulldozed and rebuilt to construct white communities. Laws and policies were preferentially skewed in favor of the National Party such as the Public Safety Act of 1953, where mass arrests were enforced upon nonviolent, civil disobedient protestors of apartheid. Ultimately, Nelson Mandela was arrested in 1962 and started a 27 year prison term. When released he became the first Black South African president in history. Mandela’s story is extremely compelling and complex, but there is an ironic twist to this.

In recent years Mandela has been hospitalized, discharged and readmitted for numerous physiological ailments associated to general aging, and secondary ailments associated with the harsh environmental conditions of his prison facilities. He’s battled prostate complications, pneumonia, and other pulmonary illnesses. This week he has been readmitted to Pretoria Hospital in South Africa, and listed in a “serious but stable” condition. What is significant and ironic about this prominent leader staying at Pretoria Hospital?

Historically speaking, the majority of South Africa was once inhabited and controlled by the famous Zulu Tribe. During the 1800’s, a group of Dutch emigrants called the Voortrekkers from the Cape Colony traveled into the South African region controlled by the Zulus. The Voortrekkers tried to arrange a geographical settlement between themselves and the Zulus. The supposed agreement deteriorated and resulted in the Zulus killing approximately half of the Voortrekkers. The remaining Voortrekkers that were focused on conquest engaged in a retaliatory strategy against the highly skilled Zulu warriors. The emigrant Dutch resurfaced with superior weaponry, guns! They literally circled their wagons and had a 2-3 man reloading system, and when the Zulus approached with spears and other subpar weapons, approximately 15,000 Zulus were slaughtered and only 3 Voortrekkers were injured. This was known as, The Battle of Blood River. Subsequently, the descendents of the Voortrekker lineage have maintained power and control over South Africa ever since. The National Party had genealogical and philosophical heritage directly linked to the Voortrekkers. The leader of the Voortrekker assault on the Zulus at The Battle of Blood River was named, Andries Pretorius. There is a whole region of South Africa named Pretoria after the Voortrekker general, and so is the hospital that Nelson Mandela is currently staying. The same bloodline that usurped and commandeered the South African region from the Zulus started the system of apartheid. This is the very same system Mandela fought against, and now at the tender age of 94 his health is in the hands of healthcare practitioners in the hospital named after the patriarchal leader of this oppressive regime. If you would like more info on this topic, I encourage readers to buy the book or watch the documentary entitled: Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond. He clearly explains the timeline of events and historical perspectives.

By: Dr. Samori Swygert

Our black leaders have either been assassinated, incarcerated, or vilified. I was listening to the Warren Ballentine Show last week on the Empowerment Radio Network. Warren had reiterated that statement throughout the show, and it resonated with me because it was the truth.

I think of Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, Fred Hampton, Assata Shakur, Angela Davis, Huey Newton, Geronimo Pratt, and a long list of others that were victims of those 3 MUTING METHODOLOGIES.

Warren also discussed how J. Edgar Hoover (Director of the FBI, and developer of COINTELPRO) had his own plan to stop the rise of a “Black Messiah”. Why are blacks considered a threat just because we choose to improve our situation, establish solidarity, foster camaraderie, develop economic sustainability, and gain equal rights and protection under the law?

That question reminded me of the story of King Herod in the Bible. I won’t go in depth, because you can read it at your personal leisure. However, I will give a brief synopsis.

A Brief Synopsis

Mary and Joseph sought private confines for the birthing of Jesus to avoid public scrutiny, because the conception was nontraditional. The word of Jesus’s birth got back to King Herod, and he sent out 3 wise men to conduct reconnaissance work for him. The 3 wise men arrived bearing gifts to the baby Jesus, and decided not to report back to King Herod. Joseph had a dream that the King would be sending for his family and fled to Egypt to avoid capture. King Herod got word of the betrayal, and then sent out his soldiers to kill each child 2 years of age and younger. This was done to prevent the possibility of any forecasted Messiah of taking his throne, and the deliverance of the people in his kingdom.

Translating this to the Black Experience in America

This seems so pertinent when you translate it to the black experience in America. For centuries a system of racism and white supremacy has dominated the sociopolitical and economic system of America. The barbaric violent system of slavery, and Jim Crow allowed white supremacists and their descendants to accumulate, and amass vast amounts of wealth and power for free, or pennies on the dollar. This imbalance of power resulted in the transfer of generational wealth and inheritance for the families, and friends of those in power. Moreover, even if you were not a slave owner, or even a racist, the system was engineered in way that just because you had white skin you were afforded the privileges, benefits, advantages, and accoutrements of a free society.

When African Americans were “freed” from slavery, that removed all free labor assets, and we became a liability to the system. We were now considered competitors for resources, because our food was no longer rationed, our domain was not a plantation shack, our bodies were no longer a free count for state representatives, and the poor working class whites had to compete.

Time progressed from decades to centuries, we deserved more rights, inclusion, representation, education, and to declare our inherent independent sovereign human rights that are divinely granted to mankind, and not just whites. However, this was considered a threat, and this resulted in vagrancy laws, night riders, Klan raids, nationwide lynching’s, voting restrictions, Eugenics programs, separate and unequal social programs, and etc.

The hunger in the voices for freedom and restitution became louder and more vocal as the quest for our GOD given human rights surged. Many prominent black leaders emerged from these voices. I assume that fear of insurrection, and a nationwide revolution scared many white supremacists who were reluctant to share or relinquish the power and authority they dominated for centuries.

This is the same type of fear King Herod had when he heard of Jesus coming to deliver his people. The same modus operandi that King Herod used to slaughter all children 2 years of age and younger, appears to be the same thought process that white supremacists had with our black leaders. This is the same type of fear and trepidation that J Edgar Hoover felt. What else would make you scared of a “Black Messiah”. This fear spawned a hatred that led to the sociopolitical castration of our black leaders. The moment when it seemed blacks were on the upswing to recalibrating the scales of justice, our leaders were slaughtered like the children under King Herod.

This became a recurrent theme that eventually neutered our drive for justice. This 3 prong attack method of assassination, incarceration, and vilification serves as a conditioning mechanism, because it discourages the black ambition. The potential pool of black leaders is thus diluted because many are afraid to take the helm, and be placed in the crosshairs of this strategy.

The King Herod Effect, and the practices of Hoover are still alive but are executed in a more stealth and subtle manner! Why kill our kids when they can lock them in a private prison for cheap labor? We can vilify and ostracize like the results of Rev. Wright, and Minister Farrakhan, with our TV and social media propaganda apparatus. Moreover, if it’s necessary to kill a generation, then flood our neighborhoods with drugs, guns, negative theme music, close schools and remove resources. That is a recipe for self annihilation, and removes the fingerprints of white supremacy. This profoundly reduces any chance of blacks achieving success and deliverance from our strife and plight.

Furthermore, by no means am I equating President Obama to a “Black Messiah”, but look what type of vitriolic hatred his election brought out of white supremacists. There were 43 white male presidents, and the one moment in history when protocol was broken, all h**l has to break loose? The other question to ask is, “is America paranoid of its’ own karma?” Lastly, this is about racist white supremacists. d**k Gregory always keeps me in check when he breaks down the contribution of John Brown and other whites that have helped through the ages.

THE TAKE HOME MESSAGE: “LET’S PROTECT OUR YOUTH AND LEADERS THAT HAVE A CLEAR VESTED INTEREST IN OUR PROGRESSION!”

Empowering the climb to success and higher understanding!